1
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Withers-Martinez C, George R, Maslen S, Jean L, Hackett F, Skehel M, Blackman MJ. The malaria parasite egress protease SUB1 is activated through precise, plasmepsin X-mediated cleavage of the SUB1 prodomain. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2024; 1868:130665. [PMID: 38969256 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2024.130665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum replicates within red blood cells, then ruptures the cell in a process called egress in order to continue its life cycle. Egress is regulated by a proteolytic cascade involving an essential parasite subtilisin-like serine protease called SUB1. Maturation of SUB1 initiates in the parasite endoplasmic reticulum with autocatalytic cleavage of an N-terminal prodomain (p31), which initially remains non-covalently bound to the catalytic domain, p54. Further trafficking of the p31-p54 complex results in formation of a terminal p47 form of the SUB1 catalytic domain. Recent work has implicated a parasite aspartic protease, plasmepsin X (PMX), in maturation of the SUB1 p31-p54 complex through controlled cleavage of the prodomain p31. METHODS Here we use biochemical and enzymatic analysis to examine the activation of SUB1 by PMX. RESULTS We show that both p31 and p31-p54 are largely dimeric under the relatively acidic conditions to which they are likely exposed to PMX in the parasite. We confirm the sites within p31 that are cleaved by PMX and determine the order of cleavage. We find that cleavage by PMX results in rapid loss of the capacity of p31 to act as an inhibitor of SUB1 catalytic activity and we directly demonstrate that exposure to PMX of recombinant p31-p54 complex activates SUB1 activity. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm that precise, PMX-mediated cleavage of the SUB1 prodomain activates SUB1 enzyme activity. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Our findings elucidate the role of PMX in activation of SUB1, a key effector of malaria parasite egress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roger George
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Sarah Maslen
- Proteomics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Létitia Jean
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Fiona Hackett
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Mark Skehel
- Proteomics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK.
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2
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Herneisen AL, Peters ML, Smith TA, Shortt E, Lourido S. SPARK regulates AGC kinases central to the Toxoplasma gondii asexual cycle. eLife 2024; 13:RP93877. [PMID: 39136687 PMCID: PMC11321763 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites balance proliferation, persistence, and spread in their metazoan hosts. AGC kinases, such as PKG, PKA, and the PDK1 ortholog SPARK, integrate environmental signals to toggle parasites between replicative and motile life stages. Recent studies have cataloged pathways downstream of apicomplexan PKG and PKA; however, less is known about the global integration of AGC kinase signaling cascades. Here, conditional genetics coupled to unbiased proteomics demonstrates that SPARK complexes with an elongin-like protein to regulate the stability of PKA and PKG in the model apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. Defects attributed to SPARK depletion develop after PKG and PKA are down-regulated. Parasites lacking SPARK differentiate into the chronic form of infection, which may arise from reduced activity of a coccidian-specific PKA ortholog. This work delineates the signaling topology of AGC kinases that together control transitions within the asexual cycle of this important family of parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice L Herneisen
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Michelle L Peters
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Tyler A Smith
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Emily Shortt
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Sebastian Lourido
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
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3
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Schwarzer E, Skorokhod O. Post-Translational Modifications of Proteins of Malaria Parasites during the Life Cycle. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6145. [PMID: 38892332 PMCID: PMC11173270 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential for regulating protein functions, influencing various fundamental processes in eukaryotes. These include, but are not limited to, cell signaling, protein trafficking, the epigenetic control of gene expression, and control of the cell cycle, as well as cell proliferation, differentiation, and interactions between cells. In this review, we discuss protein PTMs that play a key role in the malaria parasite biology and its pathogenesis. Phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation, lipidation and lipoxidation, glycosylation, ubiquitination and sumoylation, nitrosylation and glutathionylation, all of which occur in malarial parasites, are reviewed. We provide information regarding the biological significance of these modifications along all phases of the complex life cycle of Plasmodium spp. Importantly, not only the parasite, but also the host and vector protein PTMs are often crucial for parasite growth and development. In addition to metabolic regulations, protein PTMs can result in epitopes that are able to elicit both innate and adaptive immune responses of the host or vector. We discuss some existing and prospective results from antimalarial drug discovery trials that target various PTM-related processes in the parasite or host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelin Schwarzer
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy;
| | - Oleksii Skorokhod
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina, 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
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4
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Koussis K, Haase S, Withers-Martinez C, Flynn HR, Kunzelmann S, Christodoulou E, Ibrahim F, Skehel M, Baker DA, Blackman MJ. Activation loop phosphorylation and cGMP saturation of PKG regulate egress of malaria parasites. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012360. [PMID: 38935780 PMCID: PMC11236177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) is the sole cGMP sensor in malaria parasites, acting as an essential signalling hub to govern key developmental processes throughout the parasite life cycle. Despite the importance of PKG in the clinically relevant asexual blood stages, many aspects of malarial PKG regulation, including the importance of phosphorylation, remain poorly understood. Here we use genetic and biochemical approaches to show that reduced cGMP binding to cyclic nucleotide binding domain B does not affect in vitro kinase activity but prevents parasite egress. Similarly, we show that phosphorylation of a key threonine residue (T695) in the activation loop is dispensable for kinase activity in vitro but is essential for in vivo PKG function, with loss of T695 phosphorylation leading to aberrant phosphorylation events across the parasite proteome and changes to the substrate specificity of PKG. Our findings indicate that Plasmodium PKG is uniquely regulated to transduce signals crucial for malaria parasite development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Koussis
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Haase
- Host-Pathogen Interactions in Cryptosporidiosis Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Helen R. Flynn
- Proteomics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Kunzelmann
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Evangelos Christodoulou
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fairouz Ibrahim
- Proteomics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Skehel
- Proteomics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - David A. Baker
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Mogire RM, Miruka SA, Juma DW, McNamara CW, Andagalu B, Burrows JN, Chenu E, Duffy J, Ogutu BR, Akala HM. Protein target similarity is positive predictor of in vitro antipathogenic activity: a drug repurposing strategy for Plasmodium falciparum. J Cheminform 2024; 16:63. [PMID: 38831351 PMCID: PMC11145868 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-024-00856-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery is an intricate and costly process. Repurposing existing drugs and active compounds offers a viable pathway to develop new therapies for various diseases. By leveraging publicly available biomedical information, it is possible to predict compounds' activity and identify their potential targets across diverse organisms. In this study, we aimed to assess the antiplasmodial activity of compounds from the Repurposing, Focused Rescue, and Accelerated Medchem (ReFRAME) library using in vitro and bioinformatics approaches. We assessed the in vitro antiplasmodial activity of the compounds using blood-stage and liver-stage drug susceptibility assays. We used protein sequences of known targets of the ReFRAME compounds with high antiplasmodial activity (EC50 < 10 uM) to conduct a protein-pairwise search to identify similar Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 proteins (from PlasmoDB) using NCBI protein BLAST. We further assessed the association between the compounds' in vitro antiplasmodial activity and level of similarity between their known and predicted P. falciparum target proteins using simple linear regression analyses. BLAST analyses revealed 735 P. falciparum proteins that were similar to the 226 known protein targets associated with the ReFRAME compounds. Antiplasmodial activity of the compounds was positively associated with the degree of similarity between the compounds' known targets and predicted P. falciparum protein targets (percentage identity, E value, and bit score), the number of the predicted P. falciparum targets, and their respective mutagenesis index and fitness scores (R2 between 0.066 and 0.92, P < 0.05). Compounds predicted to target essential P. falciparum proteins or those with a druggability index of 1 showed the highest antiplasmodial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reagan M Mogire
- Center for Research On Genomics and Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya.
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Silviane A Miruka
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dennis W Juma
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
- Department of Emerging Infections Diseases (DEID), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research - Africa, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Case W McNamara
- Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicine, a division of The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ben Andagalu
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
| | | | - Elodie Chenu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - James Duffy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bernhards R Ogutu
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Hoseah M Akala
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya.
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Department of Emerging Infections Diseases (DEID), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research - Africa, Kisumu, Kenya.
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6
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Herneisen AL, Peters ML, Smith TA, Shortt E, Lourido S. SPARK regulates AGC kinases central to the Toxoplasma gondii asexual cycle. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.30.564746. [PMID: 37961644 PMCID: PMC10634940 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.30.564746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites balance proliferation, persistence, and spread in their metazoan hosts. AGC kinases, such as PKG, PKA, and the PDK1 ortholog SPARK, integrate environmental signals to toggle parasites between replicative and motile life stages. Recent studies have cataloged pathways downstream of apicomplexan PKG and PKA; however, less is known about the global integration of AGC kinase signaling cascades. Here, conditional genetics coupled to unbiased proteomics demonstrates that SPARK complexes with an elongin-like protein to regulate the stability of PKA and PKG in the model apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. Defects attributed to SPARK depletion develop after PKG and PKA are down-regulated. Parasites lacking SPARK differentiate into the chronic form of infection, which may arise from reduced activity of a coccidian-specific PKA ortholog. This work delineates the signaling topology of AGC kinases that together control transitions within the asexual cycle of this important family of parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice L. Herneisen
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Michelle L. Peters
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Tyler A. Smith
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Emily Shortt
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Sebastian Lourido
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
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7
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Wirjanata G, Lin J, Dziekan JM, El Sahili A, Chung Z, Tjia S, Binte Zulkifli NE, Boentoro J, Tham R, Jia LS, Go KD, Yu H, Partridge A, Olsen D, Prabhu N, Sobota RM, Nordlund P, Lescar J, Bozdech Z. Identification of an inhibitory pocket in falcilysin provides a new avenue for malaria drug development. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:743-759.e8. [PMID: 38593807 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Identification of new druggable protein targets remains the key challenge in the current antimalarial development efforts. Here we used mass-spectrometry-based cellular thermal shift assay (MS-CETSA) to identify potential targets of several antimalarials and drug candidates. We found that falcilysin (FLN) is a common binding partner for several drug candidates such as MK-4815, MMV000848, and MMV665806 but also interacts with quinoline drugs such as chloroquine and mefloquine. Enzymatic assays showed that these compounds can inhibit FLN proteolytic activity. Their interaction with FLN was explored systematically by isothermal titration calorimetry and X-ray crystallography, revealing a shared hydrophobic pocket in the catalytic chamber of the enzyme. Characterization of transgenic cell lines with lowered FLN expression demonstrated statistically significant increases in susceptibility toward MK-4815, MMV000848, and several quinolines. Importantly, the hydrophobic pocket of FLN appears amenable to inhibition and the structures reported here can guide the development of novel drugs against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grennady Wirjanata
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Jianqing Lin
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Infectious Diseases Labs & Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138648 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jerzy Michal Dziekan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Abbas El Sahili
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Zara Chung
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Seth Tjia
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | | | - Josephine Boentoro
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Roy Tham
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Lai Si Jia
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Ka Diam Go
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Han Yu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | | | - David Olsen
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - Nayana Prabhu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Radoslaw M Sobota
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore; Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pär Nordlund
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore; Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julien Lescar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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8
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Qi X, Yu X, Wei L, Jiang H, Dong J, Li H, Wei Y, Zhao L, Deng W, Guo W, Hu X, Li T. Novel α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) potentiator LT-102: A promising therapeutic agent for treating cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14713. [PMID: 38615362 PMCID: PMC11016348 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
AIMS We aimed to evaluate the potential of a novel selective α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) potentiator, LT-102, in treating cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) and elucidating its mechanism of action. METHODS The activity of LT-102 was examined by Ca2+ influx assays and patch-clamp in rat primary hippocampal neurons. The structure of the complex was determined by X-ray crystallography. The selectivity of LT-102 was evaluated by hERG tail current recording and kinase-inhibition assays. The electrophysiological characterization of LT-102 was characterized by patch-clamp recording in mouse hippocampal slices. The expression and phosphorylation levels of proteins were examined by Western blotting. Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze and novel object recognition tests. RESULTS LT-102 is a novel and selective AMPAR potentiator with little agonistic effect, which binds to the allosteric site formed by the intradimer interface of AMPAR's GluA2 subunit. Treatment with LT-102 facilitated long-term potentiation in mouse hippocampal slices and reversed cognitive deficits in a phencyclidine-induced mouse model. Additionally, LT-102 treatment increased the protein level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and the phosphorylation of GluA1 in primary neurons and hippocampal tissues. CONCLUSION We conclude that LT-102 ameliorates cognitive impairments in a phencyclidine-induced model of schizophrenia by enhancing synaptic function, which could make it a potential therapeutic candidate for CIAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyu Qi
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain‐Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain‐Machine IntelligenceZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical NeurobiologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Xueli Yu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain‐Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain‐Machine IntelligenceZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical NeurobiologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Long Wei
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Han Jiang
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Jiangwen Dong
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Hongxing Li
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Yingying Wei
- The Psychiatric Laboratory, the State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital of Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanChina
| | - Liansheng Zhao
- The Psychiatric Laboratory, the State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital of Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanChina
| | - Wei Deng
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain‐Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain‐Machine IntelligenceZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical NeurobiologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Wanjun Guo
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain‐Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain‐Machine IntelligenceZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical NeurobiologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Xun Hu
- The Clinical Research Center and Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineZhejiangHangzhouChina
| | - Tao Li
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain‐Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain‐Machine IntelligenceZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical NeurobiologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
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9
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Gilleran JA, Ashraf K, Delvillar M, Eck T, Fondekar R, Miller EB, Hutchinson A, Dong A, Seitova A, De Souza ML, Augeri D, Halabelian L, Siekierka J, Rotella DP, Gordon J, Childers WE, Grier MC, Staker BL, Roberge JY, Bhanot P. Structure-Activity Relationship of a Pyrrole Based Series of PfPKG Inhibitors as Anti-Malarials. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3467-3503. [PMID: 38372781 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Controlling malaria requires new drugs against Plasmodium falciparum. The P. falciparum cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PfPKG) is a validated target whose inhibitors could block multiple steps of the parasite's life cycle. We defined the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of a pyrrole series for PfPKG inhibition. Key pharmacophores were modified to enable full exploration of chemical diversity and to gain knowledge about an ideal core scaffold. In vitro potency against recombinant PfPKG and human PKG were used to determine compound selectivity for the parasite enzyme. P. berghei sporozoites and P. falciparum asexual blood stages were used to assay multistage antiparasitic activity. Cellular specificity of compounds was evaluated using transgenic parasites expressing PfPKG carrying a substituted "gatekeeper" residue. The structure of PfPKG bound to an inhibitor was solved, and modeling using this structure together with computational tools was utilized to understand SAR and establish a rational strategy for subsequent lead optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Gilleran
- Rutgers Molecular Design and Synthesis Core, Office for Research, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Kutub Ashraf
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 225 Warren Street, Newark, New Jersey 07103, United States
| | - Melvin Delvillar
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 225 Warren Street, Newark, New Jersey 07103, United States
| | - Tyler Eck
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - Raheel Fondekar
- Rutgers Molecular Design and Synthesis Core, Office for Research, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
- Rutgers School of Pharmacy, 160 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Edward B Miller
- Schrödinger, Inc., 1540 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, New York 10036, United States
| | - Ashley Hutchinson
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Aiping Dong
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Alma Seitova
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Mariana Laureano De Souza
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 225 Warren Street, Newark, New Jersey 07103, United States
| | - David Augeri
- Rutgers Molecular Design and Synthesis Core, Office for Research, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
- Schrödinger, Inc., 1540 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, New York 10036, United States
| | - Levon Halabelian
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - John Siekierka
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - David P Rotella
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - John Gordon
- Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - Wayne E Childers
- Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - Mark C Grier
- Rutgers Molecular Design and Synthesis Core, Office for Research, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Bart L Staker
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
| | - Jacques Y Roberge
- Rutgers Molecular Design and Synthesis Core, Office for Research, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Purnima Bhanot
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 225 Warren Street, Newark, New Jersey 07103, United States
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10
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Moss WJ, Brusini L, Kuehnel R, Brochet M, Brown KM. Apicomplexan phosphodiesterases in cyclic nucleotide turnover: conservation, function, and therapeutic potential. mBio 2024; 15:e0305623. [PMID: 38132724 PMCID: PMC10865986 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03056-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexa encompasses a large number of intracellular parasites infecting a wide range of animals. Cyclic nucleotide signaling is crucial for a variety of apicomplexan life stages and cellular processes. The cyclases and kinases that synthesize and respond to cyclic nucleotides (i.e., 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate and 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate) are highly conserved and essential throughout the parasite phylum. Growing evidence indicates that phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are also critical for regulating cyclic nucleotide signaling via cyclic nucleotide hydrolysis. Here, we discuss recent advances in apicomplexan PDE biology and opportunities for therapeutic interventions, with special emphasis on the major human apicomplexan parasite genera Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Babesia. In particular, we show a highly flexible repertoire of apicomplexan PDEs associated with a wide range of cellular requirements across parasites and lifecycle stages. Despite this phylogenetic diversity, cellular requirements of apicomplexan PDEs for motility, host cell egress, or invasion are conserved. However, the molecular wiring of associated PDEs is extremely malleable suggesting that PDE diversity and redundancy are key for the optimization of cyclic nucleotide turnover to respond to the various environments encountered by each parasite and life stage. Understanding how apicomplexan PDEs are regulated and integrating multiple signaling systems into a unified response represent an untapped avenue for future exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Moss
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Lorenzo Brusini
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ronja Kuehnel
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kevin M. Brown
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
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11
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Asanga EE, Ekpo ND, Edeke AA, Ekeleme CM, Okoroiwu HU, Edet UO, Umoh EA, Umoaffia NE, Eseyin OA, Nkang A, Akpanabiatu M, Okokon JE, Akpotuzor S, Effiong BA, Ettaba M. Betulinic and ursolic acids from Nauclea latifolia roots mediate their antimalarial activities through docking with PfEMP-1 and PfPKG proteins. BMC Complement Med Ther 2024; 24:79. [PMID: 38326823 PMCID: PMC10848498 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04324-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chemotherapies target the PfEMP-1 and PfPKG proteins in Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, in an effort to prevent the disease's high fatality rate. This work identified the phytochemical components of Nauclea latifolia roots and docked the chemical compounds against target proteins, and examined the in vivo antiplasmodial effect of the roots on Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. METHODS Standard protocols were followed for the collection of the plant's roots, cleaning, and drying of the roots, extraction and fraction preparation, assessment of the in vivo antiplasmodial activity, retrieval of the PfEMP-1 and PfPKG proteins, GCMS, ADME, and docking studies, chromatographic techniques were employed to separate the residual fraction's components, and the Swis-ADME program made it possible to estimate the drug's likeness and pharmacokinetic properties. The Auto Dock Vina 4.2 tool was utilized for molecular docking analysis. RESULTS The residual fraction showed the best therapeutic response when compared favorably to amodiaquine (80.5%) and artesunate (85.1%). It also considerably reduced the number of parasites, with the % growth inhibition of the parasite at 42.8% (D2) and 83.4% (D5). Following purification, 25 compounds were isolated and characterized with GCMS. Based on their low molecular weights, non-permeation of the blood-brain barrier, non-inhibition of metabolizing enzymes, and non-violation of Lipinski's criteria, betulinic and ursolic acids were superior to chloroquine as the best phytochemicals. Hence, they are lead compounds. CONCLUSION In addition to identifying the bioactive compounds, ADME, and docking data of the lead compounds as candidates for rational drug design processes as observed against Plasmodium falciparum target proteins (PfEMP-1 and PfPKG), which are implicated in the pathogenesis of malaria, the study has validated that the residual fraction of N. latifolia roots has the best antiplasmodial therapeutic index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edet Effiong Asanga
- Department of Biochemistry, Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
| | | | - Affiong Asuquo Edeke
- Department of Biochemistry, TopFaith University, Mkpatak, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
| | | | - Henshaw Uchechi Okoroiwu
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
| | - Uwem Okon Edet
- Department of Microbiology, Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
| | - Ekementeabasi A Umoh
- Department of Human Physiology, Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
| | | | - Olorunfemi Abraham Eseyin
- Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
| | - Ani Nkang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
| | - Monday Akpanabiatu
- Department of Biochemistry, AkwaIbom State University, IkotAkpaden, Mkpatenin, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
| | - Jude Efiom Okokon
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
| | - Sylvia Akpotuzor
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
| | - Bright Asuquo Effiong
- Department of Biochemistry, Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
| | - MacGeorge Ettaba
- Department of Biochemistry, Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
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12
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Fréville A, Ressurreição M, van Ooij C. Identification of a non-exported Plasmepsin V substrate that functions in the parasitophorous vacuole of malaria parasites. mBio 2024; 15:e0122323. [PMID: 38078758 PMCID: PMC10790765 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01223-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE In the manuscript, the authors investigate the role of the protease Plasmepsin V in the parasite-host interaction. Whereas processing by Plasmepsin V was previously thought to target a protein for export into the host cell, the authors now show that there are proteins cleaved by this protease that are not exported but instead function at the host-parasite interface. This changes the view of this protease, which turns out to have a much broader role than anticipated. The result shows that the protease may have a function much more similar to that of related organisms. The authors also investigate the requirements for protein export by analyzing exported and non-exported proteins and find commonalities between the proteins of each set that further our understanding of the requirements for protein export.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Fréville
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Margarida Ressurreição
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christiaan van Ooij
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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13
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Craven HM, Nettesheim G, Cicuta P, Blagborough AM, Merrick CJ. Effects of the G-quadruplex-binding drugs quarfloxin and CX-5461 on the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2023; 23:106-119. [PMID: 38041930 PMCID: PMC10711401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2023.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest causative agent of human malaria. This parasite has historically developed resistance to most drugs, including the current frontline treatments, so new therapeutic targets are needed. Our previous work on guanine quadruplexes (G4s) in the parasite's DNA and RNA has highlighted their influence on parasite biology, and revealed G4 stabilising compounds as promising candidates for repositioning. In particular, quarfloxin, a former anticancer agent, kills blood-stage parasites at all developmental stages, with fast rates of kill and nanomolar potency. Here we explored the molecular mechanism of quarfloxin and its related derivative CX-5461. In vitro, both compounds bound to P. falciparum-encoded G4 sequences. In cellulo, quarfloxin was more potent than CX-5461, and could prevent establishment of blood-stage malaria in vivo in a murine model. CX-5461 showed clear DNA damaging activity, as reported in human cells, while quarfloxin caused weaker signatures of DNA damage. Both compounds caused transcriptional dysregulation in the parasite, but the affected genes were largely different, again suggesting different modes of action. Therefore, CX-5461 may act primarily as a DNA damaging agent in both Plasmodium parasites and mammalian cells, whereas the complete antimalarial mode of action of quarfloxin may be parasite-specific and remains somewhat elusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly M Craven
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Guilherme Nettesheim
- Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Pietro Cicuta
- Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Andrew M Blagborough
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Catherine J Merrick
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK.
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14
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Rawat RS, Gupta A, Antil N, Bhatnagar S, Singh M, Rawat A, Prasad TSK, Sharma P. Protein kinase PfPK2 mediated signalling is critical for host erythrocyte invasion by malaria parasite. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011770. [PMID: 37988347 PMCID: PMC10662742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Signalling pathways in malaria parasite remain poorly defined and major reason for this is the lack of understanding of the function of majority of parasite protein kinases and phosphatases in parasite signalling and its biology. In the present study, we have elucidated the function of Protein Kinase 2 (PfPK2), which is known to be indispensable for the survival of human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. We demonstrate that it is involved in the invasion of host erythrocytes, which is critical for establishing infection. In addition, PfPK2 may also be involved in the maturation of the parasite post-invasion. PfPK2 regulates the release of microneme proteins like Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1), which facilitates the formation of Tight Junction between the merozoite and host erythrocyte- a key step in the process of invasion. Comparative phosphoproteomics studies revealed that PfPK2 may be involved in regulation of several key proteins involved in invasion and signalling. Furthermore, PfPK2 regulates the generation of cGMP and the release of calcium in the parasite, which are key second messengers for the process of invasion. These and other studies have shed light on a novel signalling pathway in which PfPK2 acts as an upstream regulator of important cGMP-calcium signalling, which plays an important role in parasite invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Singh Rawat
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Ankit Gupta
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Neelam Antil
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Tech Park, Bangalore, India
- Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, India
- Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India
| | - Sonika Bhatnagar
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Monika Singh
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Akanksha Rawat
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - T. S. Keshava Prasad
- Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India
| | - Pushkar Sharma
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
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15
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Vallintine T, van Ooij C. Distribution of malaria parasite-derived phosphatidylcholine in the infected erythrocyte. mSphere 2023; 8:e0013123. [PMID: 37606582 PMCID: PMC10597409 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00131-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria parasites modify their host erythrocyte in multiple ways, leading to changes in the deformability, adhesiveness, and permeability of the host erythrocyte. Most of these changes are mediated by proteins exported from the parasite to the host erythrocyte, where these proteins interact with the host cell cytoskeleton or form complexes in the plasma membrane of the infected erythrocyte. In addition, malaria parasites induce the formation of membranous compartments-the parasitophorous vacuole, the tubovesicular network (TVN), the Maurer's clefts and small vesicles-within the infected erythrocyte, a cell that is normally devoid of internal membranes. After infection, changes also occur in the composition and asymmetry of the erythrocyte plasma membrane. Although many aspects of the mechanism of export of parasite proteins have become clear, the mechanism by which these membranous compartments are formed and expanded is almost entirely unknown. To determine whether parasite-derived phospholipids play a part in these processes, we applied a metabolic labeling technique that allows phosphatidylcholine to be labeled with a fluorophore. As the host erythrocyte cannot synthesize phospholipids, within infected erythrocytes, only parasite-derived phosphatidylcholine will be labeled with this technique. The results revealed that phosphatidylcholine produced by the parasite is distributed throughout the infected erythrocyte, including the TVN and the erythrocyte plasma membrane, but not Maurer's clefts. Interestingly, labeled phospholipids were also detected in the erythrocyte plasma membrane very soon after invasion of the parasites, indicating that the parasite may add phospholipids to the host erythrocyte during invasion. IMPORTANCE Here, we describe a previously unappreciated way in which the malaria parasite interacts with the host erythrocyte, namely, by the transfer of parasite phospholipids to the erythrocyte plasma membrane. This likely has important consequences for the survival of the parasite in the host cell and the host organism. We show that parasite-derived phospholipids are transferred from the parasite to the host erythrocyte plasma membrane and that other internal membranes that are produced after the parasite has invaded the cell are produced, at least in part, using parasite-derived phospholipids. The one exception to this is the Maurer's cleft, a membranous organelle that is involved in the transport of parasite proteins to the surface of the erythrocyte. This reveals that the Maurer's cleft is produced in a different manner than the other parasite-induced membranes. Overall, these findings provide a platform for the study of a new aspect of the host-parasite interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tansy Vallintine
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious Disease, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christiaan van Ooij
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious Disease, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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16
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Tsebriy O, Khomiak A, Miguel-Blanco C, Sparkes PC, Gioli M, Santelli M, Whitley E, Gamo FJ, Delves MJ. Machine learning-based phenotypic imaging to characterise the targetable biology of Plasmodium falciparum male gametocytes for the development of transmission-blocking antimalarials. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011711. [PMID: 37801466 PMCID: PMC10584170 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Preventing parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes is recognised to be critical for achieving elimination and eradication of malaria. Consequently developing new antimalarial drugs with transmission-blocking properties is a priority. Large screening campaigns have identified many new transmission-blocking molecules, however little is known about how they target the mosquito-transmissible Plasmodium falciparum stage V gametocytes, or how they affect their underlying cell biology. To respond to this knowledge gap, we have developed a machine learning image analysis pipeline to characterise and compare the cellular phenotypes generated by transmission-blocking molecules during male gametogenesis. Using this approach, we studied 40 molecules, categorising their activity based upon timing of action and visual effects on the organisation of tubulin and DNA within the cell. Our data both proposes new modes of action and corroborates existing modes of action of identified transmission-blocking molecules. Furthermore, the characterised molecules provide a new armoury of tool compounds to probe gametocyte cell biology and the generated imaging dataset provides a new reference for researchers to correlate molecular target or gene deletion to specific cellular phenotype. Our analysis pipeline is not optimised for a specific organism and could be applied to any fluorescence microscopy dataset containing cells delineated by bounding boxes, and so is potentially extendible to any disease model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Penny C. Sparkes
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Edgar Whitley
- Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael J. Delves
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, United Kingdom
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17
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Kumatia EK, Zoiku FK, Asase A, Tung NH. Anti-malarial activity of the alkaloid, heptaphylline, and the furanocoumarin, imperatorin, from Clausena anisata against human Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites: ex vivo trophozoitocidal, schizonticidal and gametocytocidal approach. Malar J 2023; 22:264. [PMID: 37689679 PMCID: PMC10492307 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04678-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The erythrocytic stage of the life cycle of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, consists of trophozoite, schizont and gametocyte stages in humans. Various anti-malarial agents target different stages of the parasite to produce treatment outcomes. This study reports on the stage-specific anti-malarial activity of heptaphylline and imperatorin against human P. falciparum in addition to their cytotoxicity and selectivity indices (SI). METHODS The compounds were isolated from Clausena anisata using column chromatography and their structures elucidated using NMR spectroscopy. The anti-malarial activity was determined by measuring the trophozoitocidal, schizonticidal and gametocytocidal activities of the compounds using the SYBR green assay. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay. RESULTS Heptaphylline and imperatorin produced trophozoitocidal, schizonticidal and gametocytocidal activities with IC50s of 1.57 (0.2317)-26.92 (0.3144) µM with those of artesunate (the standard drug) being 0.00024 (0.0036)-0.0070 (0.0013) µM. In the cytotoxicity assay, the compounds produced CC50S greater than 350 µM and SI of 13.76-235.90. Also, the trophozoitocidal and schizonticidal activities of the compounds were more pronounced than their gametocytocidal activity. Imperatorin was 42.04% more trophozoitocidal than hepthaphyline. However, hepthaphyline has more schizonticidal and gametocytocidal properties than imperatorin. CONCLUSION Heptaphylline and imperatorin are promising anti-malarial agents, since they possess potent anti-malarial activity with weak cytotoxicity on RBCs. However, imperatorin is a better anti-malarial prophylactic agent whereas heptaphylline is a better malaria treatment agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Kofi Kumatia
- Department of Phytochemistry, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, P.O. Box 73, Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana.
- Department of Quality Management, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana.
| | - Felix Kwame Zoiku
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Health Science, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Alex Asase
- Plant Development Department, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana
| | - Nguyen Huu Tung
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, 12116, Vietnam.
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18
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Mogwera KSP, Chibale K, Arendse LB. Developing kinase inhibitors for malaria: an opportunity or liability? Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:720-731. [PMID: 37385921 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Highly druggable and essential to almost all aspects of cellular life, the protein and phosphoinositide kinase gene families offer a wealth of potential targets for pharmacological modulation for both noncommunicable and infectious diseases. Despite the success of kinase inhibitors in oncology and other disease indications, targeting kinases comes with significant challenges. Key hurdles for kinase drug discovery include selectivity and acquired resistance. The phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase beta inhibitor MMV390048 showed good efficacy in Phase 2a clinical trials, demonstrating the potential of kinase inhibitors for malaria treatment. Here we argue that the potential benefits of Plasmodium kinase inhibitors outweigh the risks, and we highlight the opportunity for designed polypharmacology to reduce the risk of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koketso S P Mogwera
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Lauren B Arendse
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.
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19
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Anjani QK, Volpe-Zanutto F, Hamid KA, Sabri AHB, Moreno-Castellano N, Gaitán XA, Calit J, Bargieri DY, Donnelly RF. Primaquine and chloroquine nano-sized solid dispersion-loaded dissolving microarray patches for the improved treatment of malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax. J Control Release 2023; 361:385-401. [PMID: 37562555 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a global parasitic infection that leads to substantial illness and death. The most commonly-used drugs for treatment of malaria vivax are primaquine and chloroquine, but they have limitations, such as poor adherence due to frequent oral administration and gastrointestinal side effects. To overcome these limitations, we have developed nano-sized solid dispersion-based dissolving microarray patches (MAPs) for the intradermal delivery of these drugs. In vitro testing showed that these systems can deliver to skin and receiver compartment up to ≈60% of the payload for CQ-based dissolving MAPs and a total of ≈42% of drug loading for PQ-based dissolving MAPs. MAPs also displayed acceptable biocompatibility in cell tests. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats showed that dissolving MAPs could deliver sustained plasma levels of both PQ and CQ for over 7 days. Efficacy studies in a murine model for malaria showed that mice treated with PQ-MAPs and CQ-MAPs had reduced parasitaemia by up to 99.2%. This pharmaceutical approach may revolutionise malaria vivax treatment, especially in developing countries where the disease is endemic. The development of these dissolving MAPs may overcome issues associated with current pharmacotherapy and improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qonita Kurnia Anjani
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; Fakultas Farmasi, Universitas Megarezky, Jl. Antang Raya No. 43, Makassar 90234, Indonesia
| | - Fabiana Volpe-Zanutto
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Khuriah Abdul Hamid
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, 42300, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
| | - Akmal Hidayat Bin Sabri
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Natalia Moreno-Castellano
- Basic Science Department, Faculty of Health, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga 680001, Colombia
| | - Xiomara A Gaitán
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana Calit
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniel Y Bargieri
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ryan F Donnelly
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
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20
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Kuehnel RM, Ganga E, Balestra AC, Suarez C, Wyss M, Klages N, Brusini L, Maco B, Brancucci N, Voss TS, Soldati D, Brochet M. A Plasmodium membrane receptor platform integrates cues for egress and invasion in blood forms and activation of transmission stages. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf2161. [PMID: 37327340 PMCID: PMC10275601 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf2161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Critical events in the life cycle of malaria-causing parasites depend on cyclic guanosine monophosphate homeostasis by guanylyl cyclases (GCs) and phosphodiesterases, including merozoite egress or invasion of erythrocytes and gametocyte activation. These processes rely on a single GCα, but in the absence of known signaling receptors, how this pathway integrates distinct triggers is unknown. We show that temperature-dependent epistatic interactions between phosphodiesterases counterbalance GCα basal activity preventing gametocyte activation before mosquito blood feed. GCα interacts with two multipass membrane cofactors in schizonts and gametocytes: UGO (unique GC organizer) and SLF (signaling linking factor). While SLF regulates GCα basal activity, UGO is essential for GCα up-regulation in response to natural signals inducing merozoite egress and gametocyte activation. This work identifies a GC membrane receptor platform that senses signals triggering processes specific to an intracellular parasitic lifestyle, including host cell egress and invasion to ensure intraerythrocytic amplification and transmission to mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronja Marie Kuehnel
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Emma Ganga
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Aurélia C. Balestra
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Suarez
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Wyss
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Natacha Klages
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lorenzo Brusini
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bohumil Maco
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Brancucci
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Till S. Voss
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dominique Soldati
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 12111 Geneva, Switzerland
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21
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Demarta-Gatsi C, Andenmatten N, Jiménez-Díaz MB, Gobeau N, Cherkaoui-Rabti MH, Fuchs A, Díaz P, Berja S, Sánchez R, Gómez H, Ruiz E, Sainz P, Salazar E, Gil-Merino R, Mendoza LM, Eguizabal C, Leroy D, Moehrle JJ, Tornesi B, Angulo-Barturen I. Predicting Optimal Antimalarial Drug Combinations from a Standardized Plasmodium falciparum Humanized Mouse Model. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0157422. [PMID: 37133382 PMCID: PMC10269072 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01574-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of new combinations of antimalarial drugs is urgently needed to prevent the spread of parasites resistant to drugs in clinical use and contribute to the control and eradication of malaria. In this work, we evaluated a standardized humanized mouse model of erythrocyte asexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum (PfalcHuMouse) for the selection of optimal drug combinations. First, we showed that the replication of P. falciparum was robust and highly reproducible in the PfalcHuMouse model by retrospective analysis of historical data. Second, we compared the relative value of parasite clearance from blood, parasite regrowth after suboptimal treatment (recrudescence), and cure as variables of therapeutic response to measure the contributions of partner drugs to combinations in vivo. To address the comparison, we first formalized and validated the day of recrudescence (DoR) as a new variable and found that there was a log-linear relationship with the number of viable parasites per mouse. Then, using historical data on monotherapy and two small cohorts of PfalcHuMice evaluated with ferroquine plus artefenomel or piperaquine plus artefenomel, we found that only measurements of parasite killing (i.e., cure of mice) as a function of drug exposure in blood allowed direct estimation of the individual drug contribution to efficacy by using multivariate statistical modeling and intuitive graphic displays. Overall, the analysis of parasite killing in the PfalcHuMouse model is a unique and robust experimental in vivo tool to inform the selection of optimal combinations by pharmacometric pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Aline Fuchs
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pablo Díaz
- The Art of Discovery, Derio, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Sandra Berja
- The Art of Discovery, Derio, Basque Country, Spain
| | | | - Hazel Gómez
- The Art of Discovery, Derio, Basque Country, Spain
| | | | - Paula Sainz
- The Art of Discovery, Derio, Basque Country, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Cristina Eguizabal
- Cell Therapy, Stem Cells and Tissues Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Spain
- Basque Centre for Blood Transfusion and Human Tissues, Galdakao, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Didier Leroy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
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22
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Ong HW, Adderley J, Tobin AB, Drewry DH, Doerig C. Parasite and host kinases as targets for antimalarials. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2023; 27:151-169. [PMID: 36942408 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2185511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The deployment of Artemisinin-based combination therapies and transmission control measures led to a decrease in the global malaria burden over the recent decades. Unfortunately, this trend is now reversing, in part due to resistance against available treatments, calling for the development of new drugs against untapped targets to prevent cross-resistance. AREAS COVERED In view of their demonstrated druggability in noninfectious diseases, protein kinases represent attractive targets. Kinase-focussed antimalarial drug discovery is facilitated by the availability of kinase-targeting scaffolds and large libraries of inhibitors, as well as high-throughput phenotypic and biochemical assays. We present an overview of validated Plasmodium kinase targets and their inhibitors, and briefly discuss the potential of host cell kinases as targets for host-directed therapy. EXPERT OPINION We propose priority research areas, including (i) diversification of Plasmodium kinase targets (at present most efforts focus on a very small number of targets); (ii) polypharmacology as an avenue to limit resistance (kinase inhibitors are highly suitable in this respect); and (iii) preemptive limitation of resistance through host-directed therapy (targeting host cell kinases that are required for parasite survival) and transmission-blocking through targeting sexual stage-specific kinases as a strategy to protect curative drugs from the spread of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wee Ong
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Jack Adderley
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Rmit University, Bundoora VIC Australia
| | - Andrew B Tobin
- Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - David H Drewry
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Christian Doerig
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Rmit University, Bundoora VIC Australia
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23
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Ong HW, Truong A, Kwarcinski F, de Silva C, Avalani K, Havener TM, Chirgwin M, Galal KA, Willis C, Krämer A, Liu S, Knapp S, Derbyshire ER, Zutshi R, Drewry DH. Discovery of potent Plasmodium falciparum protein kinase 6 (PfPK6) inhibitors with a type II inhibitor pharmacophore. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 249:115043. [PMID: 36736152 PMCID: PMC10052868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.115043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating disease that causes significant global morbidity and mortality. The rise of drug resistance against artemisinin-based combination therapy demonstrates the necessity to develop alternative antimalarials with novel mechanisms of action. We report the discovery of Ki8751 as an inhibitor of essential kinase PfPK6. 79 derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for PfPK6 inhibition and antiplasmodial activity. Using group efficiency analyses, we established the importance of key groups on the scaffold consistent with a type II inhibitor pharmacophore. We highlight modifications on the tail group that contribute to antiplasmodial activity, cumulating in the discovery of compound 67, a PfPK6 inhibitor (IC50 = 13 nM) active against the P. falciparum blood stage (EC50 = 160 nM), and compound 79, a PfPK6 inhibitor (IC50 < 5 nM) with dual-stage antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum blood stage (EC50 = 39 nM) and against P. berghei liver stage (EC50 = 220 nM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wee Ong
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Anna Truong
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Frank Kwarcinski
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
| | - Chandi de Silva
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
| | - Krisha Avalani
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
| | - Tammy M Havener
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Michael Chirgwin
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Kareem A Galal
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Caleb Willis
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
| | - Andreas Krämer
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Shubin Liu
- Research Computing Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3420, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3420, USA
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Emily R Derbyshire
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC, 27708, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
| | - Reena Zutshi
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA.
| | - David H Drewry
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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24
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Ferreira JL, Pražák V, Vasishtan D, Siggel M, Hentzschel F, Binder AM, Pietsch E, Kosinski J, Frischknecht F, Gilberger TW, Grünewald K. Variable microtubule architecture in the malaria parasite. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1216. [PMID: 36869034 PMCID: PMC9984467 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36627-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Microtubules are a ubiquitous eukaryotic cytoskeletal element typically consisting of 13 protofilaments arranged in a hollow cylinder. This arrangement is considered the canonical form and is adopted by most organisms, with rare exceptions. Here, we use in situ electron cryo-tomography and subvolume averaging to analyse the changing microtubule cytoskeleton of Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria, throughout its life cycle. Unexpectedly, different parasite forms have distinct microtubule structures coordinated by unique organising centres. In merozoites, the most widely studied form, we observe canonical microtubules. In migrating mosquito forms, the 13 protofilament structure is further reinforced by interrupted luminal helices. Surprisingly, gametocytes contain a wide distribution of microtubule structures ranging from 13 to 18 protofilaments, doublets and triplets. Such a diversity of microtubule structures has not been observed in any other organism to date and is likely evidence of a distinct role in each life cycle form. This data provides a unique view into an unusual microtubule cytoskeleton of a relevant human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josie L Ferreira
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Vojtěch Pražák
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daven Vasishtan
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marc Siggel
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Hentzschel
- Integrative Parasitology, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, DZIF Partner Site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Annika M Binder
- Integrative Parasitology, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Emma Pietsch
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Kosinski
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg, Germany
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, DZIF Partner Site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tim W Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kay Grünewald
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.
- Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany.
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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25
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Rizk MA, El-Sayed SAES, El-Alfy ES, Igarashi I. Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine: a Highly Potent Therapeutic Agent Clears Piroplasm Infection In Vitro. Acta Parasitol 2023; 68:249-256. [PMID: 36637693 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-022-00655-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The imidazo[1,2-a] pyridines have huge applications in medicinal chemistry with potent activity against wide spectrum of infectious agents. The efficacy of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine on the in vitro growth of different piroplasms, including Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, B. divergens, B. caballi, and Theileria equi, was investigated in this study. METHODS The anti-piroplasm efficacy of imidazo[1,2-a] pyridines was assessed using a fluorescence-based SYBR Green I assay. Furthermore, efficacy of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine against piroplasms following discontinuation of treatment was also assessed using a viability assay. In vitro cultures of B. bovis and T. equi were used to assess the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and diminazene aceturate (DA) interaction. RESULTS In vitro, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine inhibited the growth of B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. caballi, and T. equi in a dose-dependent manner. The highest inhibitory effects of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine were detected on the growth of B. caballi with IC50 value of 0.47 ± 0.07. Interestingly, the efficacy of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine was higher against B. bigemina (IC50: 1.37 ± 0.15) compared to the positive-control DA (IC50: 2.29 ± 0.06). The viability test findings indicate that imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine had a long-lasting inhibitory effect on bovine Babesia parasites in vitro growth up to 4 days after treatment. Notably, when coupled with DA at 0.75 or 0.50 IC50, a high concentration (0.75 IC50) of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine produced additive suppression of B. bovis growth which suggest that imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine/DA could be a promising combination therapy for the treatment of B. bovis. CONCLUSION The obtained encouraging findings pave the way for in vitro and in vivo efficacy trials of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives against several piroplasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Abdo Rizk
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. .,Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
| | - Shimaa Abd El-Salam El-Sayed
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. .,Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
| | - El-Sayed El-Alfy
- Parasitology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Ikuo Igarashi
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
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26
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Elsworth B, Keroack C, Rezvani Y, Paul A, Barazorda K, Tennessen J, Sack S, Moreira C, Gubbels MJ, Meyers M, Zarringhalam K, Duraisingh M. Babesia divergens egress from host cells is orchestrated by essential and druggable kinases and proteases. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2553721. [PMID: 36909484 PMCID: PMC10002801 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2553721/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Apicomplexan egress from host cells is fundamental to the spread of infection and is poorly characterized in Babesia spp., parasites of veterinary importance and emerging zoonoses. Through the use of video microscopy, transcriptomics and chemical genetics, we have implicated signaling, proteases and gliding motility as key drivers of egress by Babesia divergens. We developed reverse genetics to perform a knockdown screen of putative mediators of egress, identifying kinases and proteases involved in distinct steps of egress (ASP3, PKG and CDPK4) and invasion (ASP2, ASP3 and PKG). Inhibition of egress leads to continued intracellular replication, indicating exit from the replication cycle is uncoupled from egress. Chemical genetics validated PKG, ASP2 and ASP3 as druggable targets in Babesia spp. All taken together, egress in B. divergens more closely resembles T. gondii than the more evolutionarily-related Plasmodium spp. We have established a molecular framework for biological and translational studies of B. divergens egress.
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27
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Yahiya S, Saunders CN, Hassan S, Straschil U, Fischer OJ, Rueda-Zubiaurre A, Haase S, Vizcay-Barrena G, Famodimu MT, Jordan S, Delves MJ, Tate EW, Barnard A, Fuchter MJ, Baum J. A novel class of sulphonamides potently block malaria transmission by targeting a Plasmodium vacuole membrane protein. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:dmm049950. [PMID: 36715290 PMCID: PMC9934914 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic cell-based screens are critical tools for discovering candidate drugs for development, yet identification of the cellular target and mode of action of a candidate drug is often lacking. Using an imaging-based screen, we recently discovered an N-[(4-hydroxychroman-4-yl)methyl]-sulphonamide (N-4HCS) compound, DDD01035881, that blocks male gamete formation in the malaria parasite life cycle and subsequent transmission of the parasite to the mosquito with nanomolar activity. To identify the target(s) of DDD01035881, and of the N-4HCS class of compounds more broadly, we synthesised a photoactivatable derivative, probe 2. Photoaffinity labelling of probe 2 coupled with mass spectrometry identified the 16 kDa Plasmodium falciparum parasitophorous vacuole membrane protein Pfs16 as a potential parasite target. Complementary methods including cellular thermal shift assays confirmed that the parent molecule DDD01035881 stabilised Pfs16 in lysates from activated mature gametocytes. Combined with high-resolution, fluorescence and electron microscopy data, which demonstrated that parasites inhibited with N-4HCS compounds phenocopy the targeted deletion of Pfs16 in gametocytes, these data implicate Pfs16 as a likely target of DDD01035881. This finding establishes N-4HCS compounds as being flexible and effective starting candidates from which transmission-blocking antimalarials can be developed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Yahiya
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Charlie N. Saunders
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 OBZ, UK
| | - Sarah Hassan
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 OBZ, UK
| | - Ursula Straschil
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Oliver J. Fischer
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 OBZ, UK
| | - Ainoa Rueda-Zubiaurre
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 OBZ, UK
| | - Silvia Haase
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Gema Vizcay-Barrena
- Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Mufuliat Toyin Famodimu
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Sarah Jordan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Michael J. Delves
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 OBZ, UK
| | - Anna Barnard
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 OBZ, UK
| | - Matthew J. Fuchter
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 OBZ, UK
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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28
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Kar PP, Araveti PB, Srivastava A. Deciphering the kinome of Theileria annulata for identification of drug targets and anti-theilerial drug. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2022; 13:102049. [PMID: 36215767 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Tropical theileriosis is one of the major parasitic diseases of ruminants. It is a tick-borne disease caused by an apicomplexan parasite, Theileria annulata. In the infected cells, these parasites induce phenotypes similar to cancerous cells. Among the most critical changes induced by the parasite are immortalization, hyperproliferation, and dissemination. The proliferative signal in the T. annulata transformed cells are provided by different kinases such as mitogen-activated protein kinases, SRC family kinases, casein kinase-2, and phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase. Deregulation of protein kinases in cancer is also well known. Targeting protein kinases in a cancerous cell is one of the most common methods in cancer therapy. Here, we revisited the kinome of T. annulata and studied its evolutionary relationship with other piroplasms. This analysis revealed that T. annulata kinome encodes 54 protein kinases. Based on our analysis, 12 of these 54 kinases were identified for the first time in the T. annulata proteome. Three protein kinases, TA16570, TA09820, and TA07000, had <40% identity with Bos taurus and >40% identity with the previously identified potential drug targets present in the Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). These 3 proteins were predicted to be essential for the survival of T. annulata and were selected as drug targets. Screening these drug targets in the Protein Kinase Inhibitor Database (PKID) led to shortlisting of 5 drugs. Only Dabrafenib, out of these 5 drugs, could bind to the ATP binding site (in silico) of the Calcium Dependent Protein Kinase 3 of both T. annulata and Theileria parva. Further, dabrafenib could inhibit the proliferation of T. annulata infected bovine leucocytes in 6 days proliferation assay with the IC50 value of 0.66 µM. Also, this drug did not have a cytotoxic effect on bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In summary, the analysis of T. annulata kinome led to the identification of dabrafenib as a potential drug for treating theileriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prajna Parimita Kar
- National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, India; Graduate Studies, Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad, India
| | - Prasanna Babu Araveti
- National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, India; Graduate Studies, Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad, India
| | - Anand Srivastava
- National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, India; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad, India.
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29
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Arendse LB, Murithi JM, Qahash T, Pasaje CFA, Godoy LC, Dey S, Gibhard L, Ghidelli-Disse S, Drewes G, Bantscheff M, Lafuente-Monasterio MJ, Fienberg S, Wambua L, Gachuhi S, Coertzen D, van der Watt M, Reader J, Aswat AS, Erlank E, Venter N, Mittal N, Luth MR, Ottilie S, Winzeler EA, Koekemoer LL, Birkholtz LM, Niles JC, Llinás M, Fidock DA, Chibale K. The anticancer human mTOR inhibitor sapanisertib potently inhibits multiple Plasmodium kinases and life cycle stages. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabo7219. [PMID: 36260689 PMCID: PMC9951552 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abo7219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Compounds acting on multiple targets are critical to combating antimalarial drug resistance. Here, we report that the human "mammalian target of rapamycin" (mTOR) inhibitor sapanisertib has potent prophylactic liver stage activity, in vitro and in vivo asexual blood stage (ABS) activity, and transmission-blocking activity against the protozoan parasite Plasmodium spp. Chemoproteomics studies revealed multiple potential Plasmodium kinase targets, and potent inhibition of Plasmodium phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase type III beta (PI4Kβ) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (PKG) was confirmed in vitro. Conditional knockdown of PI4Kβ in ABS cultures modulated parasite sensitivity to sapanisertib, and laboratory-generated P. falciparum sapanisertib resistance was mediated by mutations in PI4Kβ. Parasite metabolomic perturbation profiles associated with sapanisertib and other known PI4Kβ and/or PKG inhibitors revealed similarities and differences between chemotypes, potentially caused by sapanisertib targeting multiple parasite kinases. The multistage activity of sapanisertib and its in vivo antimalarial efficacy, coupled with potent inhibition of at least two promising drug targets, provides an opportunity to reposition this pyrazolopyrimidine for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren B. Arendse
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - James M. Murithi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Tarrick Qahash
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | | - Luiz C. Godoy
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sumanta Dey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Liezl Gibhard
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | | | - Gerard Drewes
- Cellzome GmbH, a GSK Company, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
| | | | - Maria J. Lafuente-Monasterio
- Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus-Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid 28760, Spain
| | - Stephen Fienberg
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Lynn Wambua
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Samuel Gachuhi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Dina Coertzen
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Mariëtte van der Watt
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Janette Reader
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Ayesha S. Aswat
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Erica Erlank
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Nelius Venter
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Madeline R. Luth
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | | | - Lizette L. Koekemoer
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Lyn-Marie Birkholtz
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Jacquin C. Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Manuel Llinás
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - David A. Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
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30
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Galal KA, Truong A, Kwarcinski F, de Silva C, Avalani K, Havener TM, Chirgwin ME, Merten E, Ong HW, Willis C, Abdelwaly A, Helal MA, Derbyshire ER, Zutshi R, Drewry DH. Identification of Novel 2,4,5-Trisubstituted Pyrimidines as Potent Dual Inhibitors of Plasmodial PfGSK3/ PfPK6 with Activity against Blood Stage Parasites In Vitro. J Med Chem 2022; 65:13172-13197. [PMID: 36166733 PMCID: PMC9574854 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Essential plasmodial kinases PfGSK3
and PfPK6 are considered novel drug targets to combat
rising
resistance to traditional antimalarial therapy. Herein, we report
the discovery of IKK16 as a dual PfGSK3/PfPK6 inhibitor active against blood stage Pf3D7 parasites. To establish structure–activity relationships
for PfPK6 and PfGSK3, 52 analogues
were synthesized and assessed for the inhibition of PfGSK3 and PfPK6, with potent inhibitors further assessed
for activity against blood and liver stage parasites. This culminated
in the discovery of dual PfGSK3/PfPK6 inhibitors 23d (PfGSK3/PfPK6 IC50 = 172/11 nM) and 23e (PfGSK3/PfPK6 IC50 = 97/8 nM)
with antiplasmodial activity (23dPf3D7 EC50 = 552 ± 37 nM and 23ePf3D7 EC50 = 1400 ± 13 nM). However, both
compounds exhibited significant promiscuity when tested in a panel
of human kinase targets. Our results demonstrate that dual PfPK6/PfGSK3 inhibitors with antiplasmodial
activity can be identified and can set the stage for further optimization
efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kareem A Galal
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Anna Truong
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Frank Kwarcinski
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Chandi de Silva
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Krisha Avalani
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Tammy M Havener
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Michael E Chirgwin
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Eric Merten
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Han Wee Ong
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Caleb Willis
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Ahmad Abdelwaly
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza 12587, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Helal
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza 12587, Egypt.,Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
| | - Emily R Derbyshire
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Reena Zutshi
- Luceome Biotechnologies, L.L.C, 1665 E. 18th Street, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - David H Drewry
- Structural Genomics Consortium and Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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31
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Abstract
Human malaria, caused by infection with Plasmodium parasites, remains one of the most important global public health problems, with the World Health Organization reporting more than 240 million cases and 600,000 deaths annually as of 2020 (World malaria report 2021). Our understanding of the biology of these parasites is critical for development of effective therapeutics and prophylactics, including both antimalarials and vaccines. Plasmodium is a protozoan organism that is intracellular for most of its life cycle. However, to complete its complex life cycle and to allow for both amplification and transmission, the parasite must egress out of the host cell in a highly regulated manner. This review discusses the major pathways and proteins involved in the egress events during the Plasmodium life cycle-merozoite and gametocyte egress out of red blood cells, sporozoite egress out of the oocyst, and merozoite egress out of the hepatocyte. The similarities, as well as the differences, between the various egress pathways of the parasite highlight both novel cell biology and potential therapeutic targets to arrest its life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Dvorin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine; and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA;
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32
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Abugri J, Ayariga J, Sunwiale SS, Wezena CA, Gyamfi JA, Adu-Frimpong M, Agongo G, Dongdem JT, Abugri D, Dinko B. Targeting the Plasmodium falciparum proteome and organelles for potential antimalarial drug candidates. Heliyon 2022; 8:e10390. [PMID: 36033316 PMCID: PMC9398786 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an unmet need to unearth alternative treatment options for malaria, wherein this quest is more pressing in recent times due to high morbidity and mortality data arising mostly from the endemic countries coupled with partial diversion of attention from the disease in view of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic. Available therapeutic options for malaria have been severely threatened with the emergence of resistance to almost all the antimalarial drugs by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite in humans, which is a worrying situation. Artemisinin combination therapies (ACT) that have so far been the mainstay of malaria have encountered resistance by malaria parasite in South East Asia, which is regarded as a notorious ground zero for the emergence of resistance to antimalarial drugs. This review analyzes a few key druggable targets for the parasite and the potential of specific inhibitors to mitigate the emerging antimalarial drug resistance problem by providing a concise assessment of the essential proteins of the malaria parasite that could serve as targets. Moreover, this work provides a summary of the advances made in malaria parasite biology and the potential to leverage these findings for antimalarial drug production.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Abugri
- Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Sciences, School of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Joseph Ayariga
- The Biomedical Engineering Programme, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, 36104, USA
| | - Samuel Sunyazi Sunwiale
- Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Sciences, School of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Cletus Adiyaga Wezena
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biosciences, University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Julien Agyemang Gyamfi
- Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Sciences, School of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Michael Adu-Frimpong
- Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Sciences, School of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Godfred Agongo
- Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Sciences, School of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Julius Tieroyaare Dongdem
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. School of Medicine. University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale-Campus, Ghana
| | - Daniel Abugri
- Department of Biological Sciences, Microbiology PhD Programme, Laboratory of Ethnomedicine, Parasitology, and Drug Discovery, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Alabama State University, Montgomery, USA
| | - Bismarck Dinko
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho. Ghana
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33
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van der Watt ME, Reader J, Birkholtz LM. Adapt or Die: Targeting Unique Transmission-Stage Biology for Malaria Elimination. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:901971. [PMID: 35755845 PMCID: PMC9218253 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.901971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium parasites have a complex life cycle that includes development in the human host as well as the Anopheles vector. Successful transmission of the parasite between its host and vector therefore requires the parasite to balance its investments in asexual replication and sexual reproduction, varying the frequency of sexual commitment to persist within the human host and generate future opportunities for transmission. The transmission window is extended further by the ability of stage V gametocytes to circulate in peripheral blood for weeks, whereas immature stage I to IV gametocytes sequester in the bone marrow and spleen until final maturation. Due to the low gametocyte numbers in blood circulation and with the ease of targeting such life cycle bottlenecks, transmission represents an efficient target for therapeutic intervention. The biological process of Plasmodium transmission is a multistage, multifaceted process and the past decade has seen a much deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms and regulators involved. Clearly, specific and divergent processes are used during transmission compared to asexual proliferation, which both poses challenges but also opportunities for discovery of transmission-blocking antimalarials. This review therefore presents an update of our molecular understanding of gametocyte and gamete biology as well as the status of transmission-blocking activities of current antimalarials and lead development compounds. By defining the biological components associated with transmission, considerations for the development of new transmission-blocking drugs to target such untapped but unique biology is suggested as an important, main driver for transmission-blocking drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariëtte E van der Watt
- Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Janette Reader
- Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Lyn-Marié Birkholtz
- Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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34
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Ramjith J, Alkema M, Bradley J, Dicko A, Drakeley C, Stone W, Bousema T. Quantifying Reductions in Plasmodium falciparum Infectivity to Mosquitos: A Sample Size Calculator to Inform Clinical Trials on Transmission-Reducing Interventions. Front Immunol 2022; 13:899615. [PMID: 35720362 PMCID: PMC9205189 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.899615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria transmission depends on the presence of mature Plasmodium transmission stages (gametocytes) that may render blood-feeding Anopheles mosquitos infectious. Transmission-blocking antimalarial drugs and vaccines can prevent transmission by reducing gametocyte densities or infectivity to mosquitos. Mosquito infection outcomes are thereby informative biological endpoints of clinical trials with transmission blocking interventions. Nevertheless, trials are often primarily designed to determine intervention safety; transmission blocking efficacy is difficult to incorporate in sample size considerations due to variation in infection outcomes and considerable inter-study variation. Here, we use clinical trial data from studies in malaria naive and naturally exposed study participants to present an online sample size calculator tool. This sample size calculator allows studies to be powered to detect reductions in the proportion of infected mosquitos or infection burden (oocyst density) in mosquitos. The utility of this online tool is illustrated using trial data with transmission blocking malaria drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordache Ramjith
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department for Health Evidence, Biostatistics Research Group, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Manon Alkema
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - John Bradley
- Medical Research Council (MRC) International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alassane Dicko
- Malaria Research and Training Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Chris Drakeley
- Medical Research Council (MRC) International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Will Stone
- Medical Research Council (MRC) International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Teun Bousema
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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35
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Murithi JM, Deni I, Pasaje CFA, Okombo J, Bridgford JL, Gnädig NF, Edwards RL, Yeo T, Mok S, Burkhard AY, Coburn-Flynn O, Istvan ES, Sakata-Kato T, Gomez-Lorenzo MG, Cowell AN, Wicht KJ, Le Manach C, Kalantarov GF, Dey S, Duffey M, Laleu B, Lukens AK, Ottilie S, Vanaerschot M, Trakht IN, Gamo FJ, Wirth DF, Goldberg DE, Odom John AR, Chibale K, Winzeler EA, Niles JC, Fidock DA. The Plasmodium falciparum ABC transporter ABCI3 confers parasite strain-dependent pleiotropic antimalarial drug resistance. Cell Chem Biol 2022; 29:824-839.e6. [PMID: 34233174 PMCID: PMC8727639 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Widespread Plasmodium falciparum resistance to first-line antimalarials underscores the vital need to develop compounds with novel modes of action and identify new druggable targets. Here, we profile five compounds that potently inhibit P. falciparum asexual blood stages. Resistance selection studies with three carboxamide-containing compounds, confirmed by gene editing and conditional knockdowns, identify point mutations in the parasite transporter ABCI3 as the primary mediator of resistance. Selection studies with imidazopyridine or quinoline-carboxamide compounds also yield changes in ABCI3, this time through gene amplification. Imidazopyridine mode of action is attributed to inhibition of heme detoxification, as evidenced by cellular accumulation and heme fractionation assays. For the copy-number variation-selecting imidazopyridine and quinoline-carboxamide compounds, we find that resistance, manifesting as a biphasic concentration-response curve, can independently be mediated by mutations in the chloroquine resistance transporter PfCRT. These studies reveal the interconnectedness of P. falciparum transporters in overcoming drug pressure in different parasite strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M. Murithi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Ioanna Deni
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | - John Okombo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jessica L. Bridgford
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nina F. Gnädig
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Rachel L. Edwards
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy and Immunology, Center for Vaccine Development, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Sachel Mok
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Anna Y. Burkhard
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Olivia Coburn-Flynn
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Eva S. Istvan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Tomoyo Sakata-Kato
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Annie N. Cowell
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kathryn J. Wicht
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA,Drug Discovery and Development Center (H3D) and South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Claire Le Manach
- Drug Discovery and Development Center (H3D) and South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Gavreel F. Kalantarov
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Sumanta Dey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Maëlle Duffey
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Amanda K. Lukens
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Manu Vanaerschot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Ilya N. Trakht
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Francisco-Javier Gamo
- Global Health Pharma Research Unit, GlaxoSmithKline, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Dyann F. Wirth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Daniel E. Goldberg
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | | | - Kelly Chibale
- Drug Discovery and Development Center (H3D) and South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Elizabeth A. Winzeler
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jacquin C. Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - David A. Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA,Corresponding author
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36
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Bernard MM, Mohanty A, Rajendran V. Title: A Comprehensive Review on Classifying Fast-acting and Slow-acting Antimalarial Agents Based on Time of Action and Target Organelle of Plasmodium sp. Pathog Dis 2022; 80:6589403. [PMID: 35588061 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftac015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical resistance towards malarial parasites has rendered many antimalarials ineffective, likely due to a lack of understanding of time of action and stage specificity of all life stages. Therefore, to tackle this problem a more incisive comprehensive analysis of the fast and slow-acting profile of antimalarial agents relating to parasite time-kill kinetics and the target organelle on the progression of blood-stage parasites was carried out. It is evident from numerous findings that drugs targeting food vacuole, nuclear components, and endoplasmic reticulum mainly exhibit a fast-killing phenotype within 24h affecting first-cycle activity. Whereas drugs targeting mitochondria, apicoplast, microtubules, parasite invasion and egress exhibit a largely slow-killing phenotype within 96-120h, affecting second-cycle activity with few exemptions as moderately fast-killing. It is essential to understand the susceptibility of drugs on rings, trophozoites, schizonts, merozoites, and the appearance of organelle at each stage of 48h intraerythrocytic parasite cycle. Therefore, these parameters may facilitate the paradigm for understanding the timing of antimalarials action in deciphering its precise mechanism linked with time. Thus, classifying drugs based on the time of killing may promote designing new combination regimens against varied strains of P. falciparum and evaluating potential clinical resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Marie Bernard
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Abhinab Mohanty
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Vinoth Rajendran
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
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Yahiya S, Jordan S, Smith HX, Gaboriau DCA, Famodimu MT, Dahalan FA, Churchyard A, Ashdown GW, Baum J. Live-cell fluorescence imaging of microgametogenesis in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010276. [PMID: 35130301 PMCID: PMC8853644 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Formation of gametes in the malaria parasite occurs in the midgut of the mosquito and is critical to onward parasite transmission. Transformation of the male gametocyte into microgametes, called microgametogenesis, is an explosive cellular event and one of the fastest eukaryotic DNA replication events known. The transformation of one microgametocyte into eight flagellated microgametes requires reorganisation of the parasite cytoskeleton, replication of the 22.9 Mb genome, axoneme formation and host erythrocyte egress, all of which occur simultaneously in <20 minutes. Whilst high-resolution imaging has been a powerful tool for defining stages of microgametogenesis, it has largely been limited to fixed parasite samples, given the speed of the process and parasite photosensitivity. Here, we have developed a live-cell fluorescence imaging workflow that captures the entirety of microgametogenesis. Using the most virulent human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, our live-cell approach captured early microgametogenesis with three-dimensional imaging through time (4D imaging) and microgamete release with two-dimensional (2D) fluorescence microscopy. To minimise the phototoxic impact to parasites, acquisition was alternated between 4D fluorescence, brightfield and 2D fluorescence microscopy. Combining live-cell dyes specific for DNA, tubulin and the host erythrocyte membrane, 4D and 2D imaging together enables definition of the positioning of newly replicated and segregated DNA. This combined approach also shows the microtubular cytoskeleton, location of newly formed basal bodies, elongation of axonemes and morphological changes to the erythrocyte membrane, the latter including potential echinocytosis of the erythrocyte membrane prior to microgamete egress. Extending the utility of this approach, the phenotypic effects of known transmission-blocking inhibitors on microgametogenesis were confirmed. Additionally, the effects of bortezomib, an untested proteasomal inhibitor, revealed a clear block of DNA replication, full axoneme nucleation and elongation. Thus, as well as defining a framework for broadly investigating microgametogenesis, these data demonstrate the utility of using live imaging to validate potential targets for transmission-blocking antimalarial drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Yahiya
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Jordan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Holly X. Smith
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David C. A. Gaboriau
- Facility for Imaging by Light Microscopy, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Farah A. Dahalan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alisje Churchyard
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - George W. Ashdown
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: ,
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38
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Li H, Zhang Y, Huang Y, Cao D, Wang S. Dissolution-enhanced emission of 1,3,6,8-tetrakis( p-benzoic acid)pyrene for selectively detecting protamine and “on-to-on” heparin detection in water. NEW J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d1nj03946f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A small molecule TBAPy was used as a turn-on fluorescent probe to selectively detect protamine and heparin based on the dissolution-enhanced emission (DEE) phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongtao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organic–Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Yuting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic–Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Yan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic–Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Dapeng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Organic–Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Shitao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic–Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
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39
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Bheemanaboina RRY, de Souza ML, Gonzalez ML, Mahmood SU, Eck T, Kreiss T, Aylor SO, Roth A, Lee P, Pybus BS, Colussi DJ, Childers WE, Gordon J, Siekierka JJ, Bhanot P, Rotella DP. Discovery of Imidazole-Based Inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:1962-1967. [PMID: 34917261 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of new targets for the treatment of malaria, in particular those aimed at the pre-erythrocytic stage in the life cycle, advanced with the demonstration that orally administered inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PfPKG) could clear infection in a murine model. This enthusiasm was tempered by unsatisfactory safety and/or pharmacokinetic issues found with these chemotypes. To address the urgent need for new scaffolds, this paper presents initial structure-activity relationships in an imidazole scaffold at four positions, representative in vitro ADME, hERG characterization, and cell-based antiparasitic activity. This series of PfPKG inhibitors has good in vitro PfPKG potency, low hERG activity, and cell-based antiparasitic activity against multiple Plasmodium species that appears to be correlated with the in vitro potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rammohan R. Yadav Bheemanaboina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - Mariana Laureano de Souza
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 225 Warren Street, Newark, New Jersey 07103, United States
| | - Mariana Lozano Gonzalez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - Shams Ul Mahmood
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - Tyler Eck
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - Tamara Kreiss
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - Samantha O. Aylor
- Department of Drug Discovery, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, United States
| | - Alison Roth
- Department of Drug Discovery, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, United States
| | - Patricia Lee
- Department of Drug Discovery, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, United States
| | - Brandon S. Pybus
- Department of Drug Discovery, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, United States
| | - Dennis J. Colussi
- Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - Wayne E. Childers
- Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - John Gordon
- Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - John J. Siekierka
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| | - Purnima Bhanot
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 225 Warren Street, Newark, New Jersey 07103, United States
| | - David P. Rotella
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
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40
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Kaiser A, Doerig C. Editorial: Heading Against Parasitic Resistance: A Screen for Next Generation Drugs Against Targets of cAMP- or cGMP-regulated Pathways. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:727978. [PMID: 34484170 PMCID: PMC8415706 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.727978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Annette Kaiser
- Medical Research Centre, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Christian Doerig
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
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41
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Hakimi H, Asada M, Ishizaki T, Kawazu S. Isolation of viable Babesia bovis merozoites to study parasite invasion. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16959. [PMID: 34417510 PMCID: PMC8379152 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96365-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Babesia parasite invades exclusively red blood cell (RBC) in mammalian host and induces alterations to host cell for survival. Despite the importance of Babesia in livestock industry and emerging cases in humans, their basic biology is hampered by lack of suitable biological tools. In this study, we aimed to develop a synchronization method for Babesia bovis which causes the most pathogenic form of bovine babesiosis. Initially, we used compound 2 (C2), a specific inhibitor of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), and a derivative of C2, ML10. While both inhibitors were able to prevent B. bovis egress from RBC and increased percentage of binary forms, removal of inhibitors from culture did not result in a synchronized egress of parasites. Because using PKG inhibitors alone was not efficient to induce a synchronized culture, we isolated viable and invasive B. bovis merozoites and showed dynamics of merozoite invasion and development in RBCs. Using isolated merozoites we showed that BbVEAP, VESA1-export associated protein, is essential for parasite development in the RBC while has no significant role in invasion. Given the importance of invasion for the establishment of infection, this study paves the way for finding novel antigens to be used in control strategies against bovine babesiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Hakimi
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. .,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - Masahito Asada
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ishizaki
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Shinichiro Kawazu
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
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42
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Hofmann F. The cGMP system: components and function. Biol Chem 2021; 401:447-469. [PMID: 31747372 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling system is one of the most prominent regulators of a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes in many mammalian and non-mammalian tissues. Targeting this pathway by increasing cGMP levels has been a very successful approach in pharmacology as shown for nitrates, phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors and stimulators of nitric oxide-guanylyl cyclase (NO-GC) and particulate GC (pGC). This is an introductory review to the cGMP signaling system intended to introduce those readers to this system, who do not work in this area. This article does not intend an in-depth review of this system. Signal transduction by cGMP is controlled by the generating enzymes GCs, the degrading enzymes PDEs and the cGMP-regulated enzymes cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels, cGMP-dependent protein kinases and cGMP-regulated PDEs. Part A gives a very concise introduction to the components. Part B gives a very concise introduction to the functions modulated by cGMP. The article cites many recent reviews for those who want a deeper insight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Hofmann
- Pharmakologisches Institut, Technische Universität München, Biedersteiner Str. 29, D-80802 München, Germany
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43
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Yang T, Ottilie S, Istvan ES, Godinez-Macias KP, Lukens AK, Baragaña B, Campo B, Walpole C, Niles JC, Chibale K, Dechering KJ, Llinás M, Lee MCS, Kato N, Wyllie S, McNamara CW, Gamo FJ, Burrows J, Fidock DA, Goldberg DE, Gilbert IH, Wirth DF, Winzeler EA. MalDA, Accelerating Malaria Drug Discovery. Trends Parasitol 2021; 37:493-507. [PMID: 33648890 PMCID: PMC8261838 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Malaria Drug Accelerator (MalDA) is a consortium of 15 leading scientific laboratories. The aim of MalDA is to improve and accelerate the early antimalarial drug discovery process by identifying new, essential, druggable targets. In addition, it seeks to produce early lead inhibitors that may be advanced into drug candidates suitable for preclinical development and subsequent clinical testing in humans. By sharing resources, including expertise, knowledge, materials, and reagents, the consortium strives to eliminate the structural barriers often encountered in the drug discovery process. Here we discuss the mission of the consortium and its scientific achievements, including the identification of new chemically and biologically validated targets, as well as future scientific directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuo Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Eva S Istvan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Karla P Godinez-Macias
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Amanda K Lukens
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Beatriz Baragaña
- Wellcome Center for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Brice Campo
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Chris Walpole
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Jacquin C Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Building 56-341, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02139-4307, USA
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | | | - Manuel Llinás
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Chemistry, Huck Center for Malaria Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16082, USA
| | - Marcus C S Lee
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Nobutaka Kato
- Global Health Drug Discovery Institute, Zhongguancun Dongsheng International Science Park, 1 North Yongtaizhuang Road, Beijing 100192, China
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome Center for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Case W McNamara
- Calibr, a division of The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Francisco Javier Gamo
- Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus, Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, 28760, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jeremy Burrows
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Ian H Gilbert
- Wellcome Center for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Dyann F Wirth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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44
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Tan MSY, Koussis K, Withers‐Martinez C, Howell SA, Thomas JA, Hackett F, Knuepfer E, Shen M, Hall MD, Snijders AP, Blackman MJ. Autocatalytic activation of a malarial egress protease is druggable and requires a protein cofactor. EMBO J 2021; 40:e107226. [PMID: 33932049 PMCID: PMC8167364 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2020107226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria parasite egress from host erythrocytes (RBCs) is regulated by discharge of a parasite serine protease called SUB1 into the parasitophorous vacuole (PV). There, SUB1 activates a PV-resident cysteine protease called SERA6, enabling host RBC rupture through SERA6-mediated degradation of the RBC cytoskeleton protein β-spectrin. Here, we show that the activation of Plasmodium falciparum SERA6 involves a second, autocatalytic step that is triggered by SUB1 cleavage. Unexpectedly, autoproteolytic maturation of SERA6 requires interaction in multimolecular complexes with a distinct PV-located protein cofactor, MSA180, that is itself a SUB1 substrate. Genetic ablation of MSA180 mimics SERA6 disruption, producing a fatal block in β-spectrin cleavage and RBC rupture. Drug-like inhibitors of SERA6 autoprocessing similarly prevent β-spectrin cleavage and egress in both P. falciparum and the emerging zoonotic pathogen P. knowlesi. Our results elucidate the egress pathway and identify SERA6 as a target for a new class of antimalarial drugs designed to prevent disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele S Y Tan
- Malaria Biochemistry LaboratoryThe Francis Crick InstituteLondonUK
| | | | | | - Steven A Howell
- Protein Analysis and Proteomics PlatformThe Francis Crick InstituteLondonUK
| | - James A Thomas
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Fiona Hackett
- Malaria Biochemistry LaboratoryThe Francis Crick InstituteLondonUK
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Department of Pathobiology and Population SciencesRoyal Veterinary CollegeHertfordshireUK
| | - Min Shen
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)National Institutes of HealthRockvilleMDUSA
| | - Matthew D Hall
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)National Institutes of HealthRockvilleMDUSA
| | | | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry LaboratoryThe Francis Crick InstituteLondonUK
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical MedicineLondonUK
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45
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Shakya B, Patel SD, Tani Y, Egan ES. Erythrocyte CD55 mediates the internalization of Plasmodium falciparum parasites. eLife 2021; 10:61516. [PMID: 34028351 PMCID: PMC8184214 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Invasion of human erythrocytes by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is a multi-step process. Previously, a forward genetic screen for P. falciparum host factors identified erythrocyte CD55 as essential for invasion, but its specific role and how it interfaces with the other factors that mediate this complex process are unknown. Using CRISPR-Cas9 editing, antibody-based inhibition, and live cell imaging, here we show that CD55 is specifically required for parasite internalization. Pre-invasion kinetics, erythrocyte deformability, and echinocytosis were not influenced by CD55, but entry was inhibited when CD55 was blocked or absent. Visualization of parasites attached to CD55-null erythrocytes points to a role for CD55 in stability and/or progression of the moving junction. Our findings demonstrate that CD55 acts after discharge of the parasite’s rhoptry organelles, and plays a unique role relative to all other invasion receptors. As the requirement for CD55 is strain-transcendent, these results suggest that CD55 or its interacting partners may hold potential as therapeutic targets for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bikash Shakya
- Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Saurabh D Patel
- Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York City, United States
| | | | - Elizabeth S Egan
- Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
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46
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Peptidic boronic acids are potent cell-permeable inhibitors of the malaria parasite egress serine protease SUB1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2022696118. [PMID: 33975947 PMCID: PMC8157947 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022696118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating infectious disease, which causes over 400,000 deaths per annum and impacts the lives of nearly half the world's population. The causative agent, a protozoan parasite, replicates within red blood cells (RBCs), eventually destroying the cells in a lytic process called egress to release a new generation of parasites. These invade fresh RBCs to repeat the cycle. Egress is regulated by an essential parasite subtilisin-like serine protease called SUB1. Here, we describe the development and optimization of substrate-based peptidic boronic acids that inhibit Plasmodium falciparum SUB1 with low nanomolar potency. Structural optimization generated membrane-permeable, slow off-rate inhibitors that prevent Pfalciparum egress through direct inhibition of SUB1 activity and block parasite replication in vitro at submicromolar concentrations. Our results validate SUB1 as a potential target for a new class of antimalarial drugs designed to prevent parasite replication and disease progression.
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47
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Volpe-Zanutto F, Ferreira LT, Permana AD, Kirkby M, Paredes AJ, Vora LK, P. Bonfanti A, Charlie-Silva I, Raposo C, Figueiredo MC, Sousa IM, Brisibe A, Costa FTM, Donnelly RF, Foglio MA. Artemether and lumefantrine dissolving microneedle patches with improved pharmacokinetic performance and antimalarial efficacy in mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii. J Control Release 2021; 333:298-315. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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48
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Arendse LB, Wyllie S, Chibale K, Gilbert IH. Plasmodium Kinases as Potential Drug Targets for Malaria: Challenges and Opportunities. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:518-534. [PMID: 33590753 PMCID: PMC7961706 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Protein and phosphoinositide kinases have been successfully exploited as drug targets in various disease areas, principally in oncology. In malaria, several protein kinases are under investigation as potential drug targets, and an inhibitor of Plasmodium phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase type III beta (PI4KIIIβ) is currently in phase 2 clinical studies. In this Perspective, we review the potential of kinases as drug targets for the treatment of malaria. Kinases are known to be readily druggable, and many are essential for parasite survival. A key challenge in the design of Plasmodium kinase inhibitors is obtaining selectivity over the corresponding human orthologue(s) and other human kinases due to the highly conserved nature of the shared ATP binding site. Notwithstanding this, there are some notable differences between the Plasmodium and human kinome that may be exploitable. There is also the potential for designed polypharmacology, where several Plasmodium kinases are inhibited by the same drug. Prior to starting the drug discovery process, it is important to carefully assess potential kinase targets to ensure that the inhibition of the desired kinase will kill the parasites in the required life-cycle stages with a sufficiently fast rate of kill. Here, we highlight key target attributes and experimental approaches to consider and summarize the progress that has been made targeting Plasmodium PI4KIIIβ, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and cyclin-dependent-like kinase 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren B. Arendse
- Drug
Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), South African Medical Research
Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of
Chemistry, and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape 7701, South Africa
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Drug
Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), South African Medical Research
Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of
Chemistry, and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape 7701, South Africa
| | - Ian H. Gilbert
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
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Abstract
All intracellular pathogens must escape (egress) from the confines of their host cell to disseminate and proliferate. The malaria parasite only replicates in an intracellular vacuole or in a cyst, and must undergo egress at four distinct phases during its complex life cycle, each time disrupting, in a highly regulated manner, the membranes or cyst wall that entrap the parasites. This Cell Science at a Glance article and accompanying poster summarises our current knowledge of the morphological features of egress across the Plasmodium life cycle, the molecular mechanisms that govern the process, and how researchers are working to exploit this knowledge to develop much-needed new approaches to malaria control. ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele S Y Tan
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK .,Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
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50
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Balestra AC, Koussis K, Klages N, Howell SA, Flynn HR, Bantscheff M, Pasquarello C, Perrin AJ, Brusini L, Arboit P, Sanz O, Castaño LPB, Withers-Martinez C, Hainard A, Ghidelli-Disse S, Snijders AP, Baker DA, Blackman MJ, Brochet M. Ca 2+ signals critical for egress and gametogenesis in malaria parasites depend on a multipass membrane protein that interacts with PKG. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/13/eabe5396. [PMID: 33762339 PMCID: PMC7990342 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe5396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Calcium signaling regulated by the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) controls key life cycle transitions in the malaria parasite. However, how calcium is mobilized from intracellular stores in the absence of canonical calcium channels in Plasmodium is unknown. Here, we identify a multipass membrane protein, ICM1, with homology to transporters and calcium channels that is tightly associated with PKG in both asexual blood stages and transmission stages. Phosphoproteomic analyses reveal multiple ICM1 phosphorylation events dependent on PKG activity. Stage-specific depletion of Plasmodium berghei ICM1 prevents gametogenesis due to a block in intracellular calcium mobilization, while conditional loss of Plasmodium falciparum ICM1 is detrimental for the parasite resulting in severely reduced calcium mobilization, defective egress, and lack of invasion. Our findings suggest that ICM1 is a key missing link in transducing PKG-dependent signals and provide previously unknown insights into atypical calcium homeostasis in malaria parasites essential for pathology and disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélia C Balestra
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Konstantinos Koussis
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK.
| | - Natacha Klages
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Steven A Howell
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Helen R Flynn
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Marcus Bantscheff
- Cellzome GmbH, Molecular Discovery Research, GlaxoSmithKline, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carla Pasquarello
- Proteomics Core Facility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Abigail J Perrin
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Lorenzo Brusini
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Patrizia Arboit
- Proteomics Core Facility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Olalla Sanz
- Diseases of the Developing World Global Health Pharma Unit, GlaxoSmithKline, 28760 Tres Cantos, Spain
| | | | | | - Alexandre Hainard
- Proteomics Core Facility, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sonja Ghidelli-Disse
- Cellzome GmbH, Molecular Discovery Research, GlaxoSmithKline, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - David A Baker
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK.
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
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